Administration the problem at Lane

I was asked to comment on the recent elimination of the Electronic Technology program at Lane Community College. As a manager, I have hired many graduates and have allowed interns to work in our shop for class credit. I also volunteered my time to be on the Electronic Technology Advisory Board. I attended the April and May board meetings and gave public comments at both meetings. While I understand the need for cost reductions the true story appears to be missed.

It was obvious that the Lane administration decided which programs to cut and then wrote a report to justify their actions. The report contained many errors and fabricated facts. They then presented it to the Board of Education. The only thing missing was Colin Powell with a small vile. When presented with facts that contradicted their argument, they simply stated that they “stand behind their numbers.”

The faculty I have met at Lane are very good and the graduates that we have hired are well educated in their field. The comments made by faculty and students during the public forum can only lead you to believe that the administration is the problem. There were many potentially good ideas presented that I had not even thought about, but were not being considered.

There is no doubt in my mind that the “savings” that the administration predicts will not materialize and they will be back in the news talking about further cuts.